This game is even different from the movie, which itself is different from the original manuscript by Cole Smith

Lowered expectations is the only thing that's going to make this game passable for players. The less you know about the actual ancient literature known as Beowulf, the more you might be able to appreciate this game. Also, the less you know about action-oriented gaming, the more you might be able to appreciate this game.

Beowulf is not the kind of game that is likely to impress any game reviewer, unless it's his or her first assignment and the novelty of playing games for a living hasn't worn off. I can tell you with no uncertainty that Beowulf is one dog of a game. There is so much going against it, I'm having trouble at where to start. I have to qualify my comments here in an effort to be fair. Beowulf is not a terrible game; in fact it's passable. I will definitely give it a score that will put it above the passing grade. Now having said that, my expectations of Beowulf were not low, considering that this game is supposedly based on the epic fantasy poem of the same name that was written more than a thousand years ago. I expected a lot more than a generic game with a lame adaptation of the original story.

First of all, let's try to ignore the fact that there is also a movie released with the same name. That will figure prominently later, but for now let us be concerned with the original classic story. It's believed to have been written in England during the 7th century. The author is unknown, but widely celebrated. Although Beowulf is a poem, it's a friggin' huge one. It tells the fantastic tale of a hero defending his world. That's a really shallow overview as the poem goes into great detail with the names of places, characters, and detailed descriptions of monsters, battles, and situations. But the shallow overview is all that you'll have to concern yourself with. The story in the game is so convoluted and confusing that it barely resembles the original, with the exception of the shallow overview.

A warrior defending his kingdom against aggressive monsters is hardly anything new. So it's a wonder why the developers didn't stick more closely to the original poem seeing as it's the only surviving literary work in the fantasy genre. Some claim it's the first, and there's no doubt of its influences. As with the movie, the story has been dumbed-down in an effort to cater to a huge, young, demographic that would never be able to spell Beowulf correctly, let alone have ever heard of it or would ever consider reading it. "Why read when you can watch the movie? And after that, I can play the game. I'll be a friggin' expert on that Baywatch-Wolf thing."

I am by no means a literary snob. I truly think that some of the best writing of our time can be found in the Simpsons (circa 89-95). I just think that if you're going to mess with a classic, don't make a mess of it. What we've got here is a generic action game with a convoluted storyline that is revealed in sections like a mystery game. Bits of clues help to make sense of events eventually, but there's no need for this kind of suspense. Normally in a game like this you need to be in the here and now. Unfortunately, due to the repetitive and restricted nature of the gameplay, it's really a blessing to have your mind occupied with other thoughts.

Much of the gameplay is redundant. You repeat the same kind of quests/missions over and over. They involve fighting waves of monsters and moving on to the next arena. Expect a lot of button mashing. There are only a few different moves. Once you acquire and learn them, the only thing you have to look forward to is making them more powerful. You will punch, grab, jump, climb, dodge, counterattack, and slash with weapons. Successful moves will earn you points which you will use to upgrade your tiny set of moves.

Beowulf has a posse with him. They are called the Thane, and with a few commands they will perform some helpful duties. For the most part, the Thane respond not unlike special needs kids on a day trip. They don't always listen, they get in the way, they freeze in a panic, and they can't be relied upon to always think for themselves. If one of them gets attacked by a vicious monster, the others will stop work and look on with interest, not so much as offering to shoo the beast away while it feasts upon their comrade.